Style and Technique

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Mansfield’s influence on the structure of the short story is comparable to that of her more famous contemporary James Joyce on the novel. Crucial to each is a sense that point of view must be controlled from within the character and that the elusiveness of life’s meaning can be captured through an epiphanic moment. Here, mental access has been restricted to Miss Brill, but mere selective omniscience cannot account for the artfulness of the technique. The manipulation of time is important because the story tends toward the exploration of a few moments in a character’s life.

These highly compressed moments, therefore, reveal psychological time instead of clock-time, and they are everywhere marked by Miss Brill’s colloquialisms and features of her private language. Mixed with this language, however, is the narrator’s phraseology (narrated monologue), so that even the most neutral observations are reinforced by a kind of lyric intensity: “And sometimes a tiny staggerer came suddenly rocking into the open from under the trees, stopped, stared, as suddenly sat down ’flop,’ until its small high-stepping mother, like a young hen, rushed scolding to its rescue.” It is this rich mixture of interior monologue, narrated monologue, and narrator summary that enables the reader to perceive the very reality Miss Brill seeks to deny in her fantasies.

Like Joyce, Mansfield rejected an intrusive commentary, allowing the reader to form a reaction to the character in more subtle ways. As Miss Brill reflects on the past, or once, notably, anticipates a future time in the imagined dialogue with her reading companion, she reveals herself and her anxieties most fully. Using Miss Brill’s eyes to look outward on the world of the story enables the narrator to infuse her vision with a stronger vision so that themes of isolation, exile, and aging in a hostile world appear to evolve naturally from the character herself.

In this way, the intermingling of scene, narrator summary (or withdrawal), and the modes of Miss Brill’s mental life work in harmony to preserve the flavor of Miss Brill’s own phraseology and to keep the narrative fabric smooth and seamless. The end result is that Miss Brill’s life tends toward a moment in which she can no longer deny the reality she so greatly fears.

Historical Context

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Europe between the Wars
During the 1920s, Europe was in the process of rebuilding after World War I, the most devastating and deadly conflict in history. The economy expanded, driven by advancements in medicine and technology developed during the war, ushering in a new era of prosperity and cultural growth in many Western European nations. France, in particular, became a haven for expatriate artists and writers from England and the United States, attracted by its affordable living conditions. The values of the "Jazz Age" spread across the continent, leading to the breakdown of strict Victorian norms and the rise of controversial art movements like Expressionism and Surrealism, as well as explicit literature from writers such as James Joyce.

"Miss Brill" is set in this tumultuous period, where the sight of an older, single woman wearing an outdated fur stole symbolized a genteel world permanently altered by the horrors of trench warfare, the advent of air travel, and the cynicism born from the millions of war casualties. Like many of her contemporaries, Miss Brill is a foreigner residing in France, yet she feels disconnected from the vibrant community of artists and writers who formed the "moveable feast" in 1920s Paris. Instead, Miss Brill teaches English to a few students and reads to an elderly gentleman until he falls asleep. Her association with this man further underscores her connection to a bygone era. The young couple on the bench represent a newer generation, and their remarks reflect the changing attitudes young people had towards their elders.

Mansfield, known for her numerous affairs and free-spirited nature, fit into this new social order with ease. However, by the time she penned "Miss Brill," she was weakened by tuberculosis and devoted much of her energy to writing stories and letters. In England, the Bloomsbury writers, a loosely-knit group that included Virginia Woolf and aimed to dismantle the old Victorian social order, were in regular correspondence with Mansfield. In "Miss Brill," Mansfield crafted one of her most renowned characterizations—one that highlights the illusions of the old order and how they are ultimately revealed to be mere illusions.

Literary Style

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"Miss Brill" explores the internal reflections of a woman during her Sunday outing to the park, whose joyful fantasies are disrupted by a harsh dose of reality.

Setting
The story "Miss Brill" is set in the "Jardins Publiques," which translates to "public gardens" or park in English. Through her name and the fact that she teaches English, it is evident that Miss Brill is not a native of France, making her an outsider from the outset. These details emphasize her emotional loneliness, which she tries to alleviate by imagining herself as part of a theatrical performance. The delightful weather, with its crispness perfect for her fur collar, mirrors Miss Brill's cheerful mood as she sits in the garden, enjoying the band and observing the people around her. However, her illusion of connection with others in the park is shattered by the remarks of a young couple. This leads Miss Brill to retreat to her "little dark room—her room like a cupboard," highlighting her sudden change in mood.

Symbolism
The central symbol in "Miss Brill" is her fur stole, which takes on various lifelike qualities, reflecting aspects of Miss Brill herself. She "took it out of its box that afternoon," just as she left her "room like a cupboard" to stroll in the park. The fur is described with human attributes: its nose "wasn't at all firm," and Miss Brill imagines its eyes questioning, "What has been happening to me?" When she places it back in its box at the story's end, she imagines hearing it cry. The boy in the park mocks Miss Brill's appearance, saying she should "keep her silly old mug at home," while his girlfriend laughs at the fur, saying it looks "exactly like a fried whiting." When Miss Brill removes the fur at home, she does it "quickly; quickly, without looking," perhaps symbolizing her refusal to examine her own life or recognize how others perceive her.

Narration
"Miss Brill" employs a third-person, stream-of-consciousness narrative, a technique frequently used by Mansfield to enhance the story's psychological depth and insightful characterization. Although the narrative voice is third person, the stream-of-consciousness method grants readers complete access to Miss Brill's inner thoughts, but only her thoughts. Consequently, other characters' thoughts are either conveyed through dialogue (as with the young couple) or remain undisclosed (such as the silent couple next to Miss Brill). Readers gain insight into Miss Brill's feelings about her fur through her thoughts: "Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again," but much of her character is revealed through what she fails to understand. For instance, the stream-of-consciousness narrative exposes Miss Brill's view of a woman wearing an old ermine hat. Miss Brill derides the woman, describing her hat as "shabby" and her hand as a "tiny yellowish paw," yet she overlooks the similarity between her own appearance and that of the woman. Thus, aspects of Miss Brill's character are disclosed by what her stream-of-consciousness narration does not address.

Compare and Contrast

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  • 1920s: Besides nursing and teaching, few careers are considered socially appropriate for women who need to earn a living.

    Today: College graduates are equally likely to be women as men, and a majority of women work across almost all professions.

  • 1920s: Social status can often be inferred from one's attire. Men typically wear hats, women don gloves, and fur signifies a certain level of social prestige. Women almost always wear dresses or skirts, with rare exceptions.

    Today: Dress codes are much more relaxed. Hats and gloves are rare in many social settings, and pants are a common part of women's fashion. Many view fur not as a status symbol but as a sign of cruelty and excessive consumption.

  • 1920s: Popular leisure activities include reading, attending the theater, and gathering in public venues like parks or pubs. People often dress up when going out in public.

    Today: Televisions are present in 98 percent of U.S. households. Other mass communication tools, such as telephones, radios, and personal computers, have reduced the time spent socializing in public spaces. In suburban areas, shopping malls are frequently the most crowded locations.

Bibliography and Further Reading

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Sources
Mansfield, Katherine. The Letters of Katherine Mansfield, edited by J. Middleton Murry. Knopf, 1930.

Further Reading
Fullbrook, Kate. Katherine Mansfield. Indiana University Press, 1986. A biography detailing the writer's life.

Koblet, J. F. Katherine Mansfield: A Study of the Short Fiction. Twayne, 1990. A critical analysis of Mansfield's short stories.

Nathan, Rhoda B. Katherine Mansfield. Continuum Publishing Company, 1988. Another biography of the writer's life.

Pilditch, Jan. The Critical Response to Katherine Mansfield. Greenwood Press, 1996. A compilation of reprinted critiques on Mansfield's work.

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